

Deborah Sawaf
Founder & CEO, The Power of Words, Thalé Blanc
Founder, CEO, Fashion Designer, Mentor, Strategy Advisor
Deborah Sawaf is the Founder and CEO of Thalé Blanc, a luxury fashion brand established in 2010, renowned for its women’s designer handbags, clothing, accessories, and jewellery. Born in Bombay and trained at FIDM in Los Angeles, her work is deeply influenced by Italian craftsmanship and creative development. With nearly three decades of experience in haute couture, luxury craftsmanship, and brand innovation, Deborah has built a reputation for excellence, having worked with some of the world’s most prestigious fashion houses. Beyond fashion, her passion for mentoring and developing youth programmes revealed to her the power of fashion as a platform for social impact and emotional intelligence.
In 2022, Deborah launched The Power of Words, a purpose-driven fashion brand and art initiative designed to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health. By merging fashion, pop culture, music, and art, and collaborating with mental health apps, NFT platforms, and public events, the initiative aims to raise awareness and drive meaningful conversations across generations. Recognised by the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana and the United Nations as the world’s first socially sustainable movement through fashion for mental health, Deborah’s work has earned multiple accolades, including two nominations for the Rising Star Award by the Accessories Council of America and the Angelino Magazine’s award for True Altruism.
Before founding Thalé Blanc, Deborah worked with prominent fashion houses such as John Galliano, Valentino, Roberto Cavalli and Gianfranco Ferré. She also founded TALIA, a fine jewellery collection, and DESAGE, a couture gown line.
Deborah is a mentor for Startupbootcamp FashionTech in Milan and Florence, supporting emerging fashion talent. She supports organisations like the Didi Hirsch Foundation, the Qatar America Institute for Culture, and the Burnt Children’s Relief Fund. She is a strategy advisor for Pullquest, a platform for fashion stylists. In recognition of her philanthropic work, Deborah received the True Altruist award from The Angelino Magazine in 2022.
Deborah holds a degree in Design and Merchandising from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM), specialising in Fashion/Apparel Design and Fashion Merchandising. She furthered her education with studies in Gemology and Jewellery Design at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). Additionally, she completed the OCP - Power and Influence for Positive Impact program at Harvard Business School.
Read more about Deborah Sawaf: https://businessabc.net/wiki/deborah-sawaf